Prefabricated cage system for reinforcing concrete members

ABSTRACT

A device for reinforcing concrete. The device includes a perforate load-bearing member with first and second surfaces around which concrete can be placed. Apertures in the perforate load-bearing member form connectivity points between concrete disposed on the first and second surfaces to promote bonding of the concrete such that a contiguous mass of concrete forms upon curing. The resulting reinforced concrete structure is of integral construction. In one embodiment, the device can be configured as cage-like structure. In addition, the device may define a unitary structure that can be prefabricated, thereby reducing the time and cost of formation of a reinforced concrete structural member.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 60/500,885, filed Sep. 5, 2003.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

This invention was supported by the government under Contract No.CMS-0355321 awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Thegovernment has certain rights in the invention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to reinforcement for use inbuilding structures, and more particularly to concrete reinforcementthat forms a structure with concrete to perform the role of bothlongitudinal and lateral reinforcement.

The use of reinforced concrete members is well-known in the buildingart. Some of steel's outstanding properties, such as high tensilestrength, high ductility and availability are combined with concrete'sbeneficial properties, including high compressive strength, goodformability, low cost and high temperature and fire resistance.Combinations employing these two materials are a good choice fordesigning members used in bridges, tunnels, stadiums, multistorycommercial and residential dwellings and related structures, hereinaftercollectively referred to as buildings or building structures. Examplesof steel/concrete combinations used in building structures includeconventional reinforcing bar (rebar) reinforced concrete systems,concrete-filled tubular systems, steel-concrete composite systems, andwelded wire fabric systems.

Typical rebar-based systems employ cylindrical steel rebar interlockedinto a skeletal frame inside a concrete matrix. In such systems, steelrebar is used for carrying the tensile stresses and improving memberductility. The rebar is usually used as longitudinal and lateral(transverse) reinforcements in such systems for columns, beams and otherrelated reinforced concrete structures. The process of arrangingnumerous longitudinal and transverse reinforcement with tie wires into askeletal frame, then placing forms around the frame pouring concreteinto the interstices is labor intensive, and hence expensive. Moreover,the complexity of such systems increases the likelihood of loosetolerances and related lowering of load-carrying capacity.

In steel-concrete composite systems, steel profiles (for example,I-beams) are placed inside the member to provide higher axial strength.This system helps provide a high strength in a relatively smallcross-sectional area to avoid the limitations of traditional rebar-basedsystems, where the spacing of the bars in a relatively small section maybe less than the allowable amount. Composite sections are usually usedin high rise buildings, where a high axial strength with the minimumarea provided for columns are desirable. The concrete cover protects thesteel against fire, moisture and other environmental elements. The highmetal reinforcement ratio, as well as its placement near the center ofthe reinforced concrete member, may result in a relatively inefficientsystem with limited ductility, flexural and torsional resistance.

In the concrete-filled tubular system, a hollow steel section like apipe or a rectangular box is filled with concrete. This system is usefulespecially when very high axial strength and concrete confinement withthe least cross-sectional area is desirable. One of the chief attributesof the tubular system is its efficiency of structure, where the tensilestrength is mainly provided by the steel, which is at the outer mostlevel from the center. Nevertheless, because the steel is situated atthe outermost portion of the system, it is exposed and therefore subjectto fire and corrosion damage.

In the welded wire fabric system, a prefabricated wire steel system isused for carrying the tensile stresses. In the welded wire system, steelwires/bars are laid in two perpendicular directions and are welded atintersections using rollers and roll welding process. This system isusually used for providing reinforcements in planar sections such astunnels and shear walls. The steel wires are usually the same indiameter and spacing in both directions, but they can be produced to bedifferent in the two directions.

What is needed is reinforcement for concrete structures that can satisfythe stringent load-carrying and environmental requirements of buildingcomponents. What is additionally needed is such reinforcement that iseasy and inexpensive to fabricate and allows for fast construction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These needs are met by the present invention, where a reinforcement forreinforced concrete members is disclosed. While it is understood thatthe present invention reinforcement is applicable to various concretestructural members (as will be discussed in more detail below), much ofthe following discussion takes place in the context of a reinforcedconcrete column. Deviations from column-particular features will beapparent from the context.

In a first aspect of the invention, a concrete reinforcing device madeup of a perforate load-bearing member having first and second surfacesis disclosed. The device is configured to accept concrete such that uponpouring concrete around the surfaces, apertures that give theload-bearing member its perforate nature allow concrete from the firstand second surfaces to contact and bond, thereby forming a contiguousmass of the concrete. This creates an interlocked relationship betweenthe device and the concrete such that an integral structure is formed.

Optionally, the material making up the device is a metal or metal alloy.In a preferred embodiment, the device is made from steel. In anotheroption, the device is of unitary (i.e., one-piece) construction suchthat longitudinal and lateral reinforcements (also referred to aslongitudinal and lateral reinforcement stripes) are defined by theapertures formed in the device. These reinforcements, by defining theportion of the device that remains upon formation of the apertures, aresubstantially coplanar with the portions of the first and secondsurfaces that define the reinforcement. The unitary construction of thepresent invention can be used to perform the role of both longitudinaland transverse reinforcement in rectangular and circular reinforcedconcrete columns without the need for supplemental, assembledcomponents, such as rebar, tie wires, welded wire fabric or disparatecomposite members. Inherent in the unitary construction of the device isthat the intersections of longitudinal and lateral reinforcement stripesdefine a continuous and uninterrupted structure.

The device may be formed in either a substantially two-dimensional(i.e., planar) or three-dimensional shape. In one particularthree-dimensional embodiment, the device is configured as a cage suchthat the first surface is substantially inward facing and the secondsurface is substantially outward facing. Regardless of whether thedevice is configured to be planar, cage-shaped or some shape in-between,the apertures can be arranged in a substantially repeating pattern (suchas along rows and columns), and may be formed in numerous preferredshapes, such as rectangles (with or without rounded corners), circles orthe like. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art thatapertures formed from rectangular or related sharp-cornered shapes canbe rounded to reduce stress concentration in corners. In one embodiment,all of the apertures are substantially similar in size, while inanother, they can be of various sizes. In this latter configuration,larger apertures can be used near the middle portion of the reinforcingdevice used as column reinforcement, where less transverse reinforcementis required, while the dimensions of the apertures can be reduced withless spacing near the top and bottom of the device to promote enhancedshear strength under high lateral load conditions. As the amount oftransverse reinforcement is increased by using smaller spacing, theshear resistance of that part of the column also increases.

According to another aspect of the invention, a reinforced concretestructure is disclosed, including a concrete reinforcing devicecomprising a perforate load-bearing member having a first surface and asecond surface, and a mass of concrete coupled with the perforateload-bearing member such that apertures defining the perforateload-bearing member facilitate bonding between a portion of the mass ofconcrete disposed on the first surface and a portion of the mass ofconcrete disposed on the second surface. As with the first aspectdiscussed above, this cooperation made possible by the perforateload-bearing member results in an integral structure between the mass ofconcrete and the device.

Optionally, the perforate load-bearing member comprises a cage intowhich the portion of the mass of concrete disposed on the first surfaceis placed, and outside of which the portion of the mass of concretedisposed on the second surface is formed. Where a large and heavilyreinforced concrete structural member cross-section is required, two ormore cages of differing size can be placed concentrically to provide therequired reinforcement. The structural member may be (among otherthings) a column, beam, pile, shear wall, retaining wall, foundation,slab or joint between a column and beam. In addition, the device can beused as the whole or as part of the necessary reinforcement for thereinforced concrete structure. It will be appreciated by those skilledin the art that other applications involving the use of reinforcedconcrete members are possible. For example, any beam or column-likemember such as a tapered bridge pier, pier with interlockedreinforcement, and coupling beams can be reinforced with the system ofthe present invention. Furthermore, the system of the present inventioncan also be used in uncommon structural components, such as precastfolded plates and reinforced concrete shell structures.

According to another aspect of the invention, a reinforced concretecolumn is disclosed. The column includes a perforate load-bearing metalcage and a concrete mass cooperative with the cage. The cage is ofunitary construction, and is configured such that it has at least aninward-facing first surface and an outward-facing second surface. Theapertures defined in the cage (i.e., that give the cage its perforateattributes) form a channel through which concrete can flow andultimately cure such that upon such curing facilitates bonding between aportion of the mass disposed on the first surface and a portion of themass disposed on the second surface to effect an integral structurebetween the mass and the cage. Optionally, the apertures aresubstantially circumscribed by transverse and longitudinalreinforcements that are formed into and make up the lattice-likestructure of the cage. The apertures and one side (for example, theinward-facing side) of the reinforcements define the first cage surface,while the apertures and an opposing side (for example, theoutward-facing side) of the reinforcements define the cage secondsurface.

According to another aspect of the invention, a method of reinforcing abuilding is disclosed. The method includes configuring at least oneload-bearing structure and placing it in a position in the building suchthat it carries at least a portion of a structural load in the building.The load-bearing structure includes a concrete reinforcing devicecomprising a perforate member having a first surface and a secondsurface, and a mass of concrete cooperative with the perforate membersuch that apertures defining the perforate load-bearing memberfacilitate bonding between a portion of the mass of concrete disposed onthe first surface and a portion of the mass of concrete disposed on thesecond surface to form an integral structure between the mass ofconcrete and the device. Optionally, the perforate member is generallycage-shaped, and can be of unitary construction.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, a method of making aconcrete column is disclosed. The method includes configuring aload-bearing metal cage to have at least an inward-facing first surfaceand an outward-facing second surface such that a plurality of aperturesdefined between the first and second surfaces define numerous channels,flowing a concrete mass onto the cage, and curing the concrete mass.During placement of the concrete, a portion of the mass formssubstantially against the first surface, a portion of the mass formssubstantially against the second surface and a portion of the mass formsin the channels defined by the apertures. The presence of a concreteportion in the channels promotes connectivity between the concreteportions placed against the first and second cage surfaces, and resultsin a substantially contiguous concrete structure that is formed aroundthe cage. Once the concrete cures, it forms a rigid concrete mass aroundthe cage. Optionally, forms can be placed around the cage prior to theflowing the concrete mass in order to give the column a predeterminedshape. After the concrete has cured, the forms can be removed. Inanother option, the columns can be either formed in a substantiallyhorizontal position such that upon concrete curing can then be liftedinto place, or formed in situ.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention can be best understood when read in conjunction withthe following drawings, where like structure is indicated with likereference numerals and in which:

FIG. 1A illustrates a welded wire fabric system of a reinforced concretecolumn according to the prior art;

FIG. 1B illustrates a rebar reinforced concrete column according to theprior art;

FIG. 1C illustrates a steel-concrete composite reinforced concretecolumn according to the prior art;

FIG. 1D illustrates a concrete-filled tubular column according to theprior art;

FIG. 2 illustrates a prefabricated load-bearing member configured as acage according to an embodiment of the present invention being used toreinforce a concrete column;

FIG. 3 illustrates a plan view of the reinforced concrete column of FIG.2;

FIG. 4A illustrates three bonding mechanisms for the prefabricatedload-bearing member of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4B illustrates the resisting mechanism between adjacent concretesurfaces at apertures formed in the cage of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4C illustrates the resisting mechanism due to concrete bearing onthe lateral reinforcing strip of the prefabricated cage of the system ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 5 illustrates an alternate embodiment of a reinforced concretecolumn; and

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternate embodiment of a reinforced concretecolumn with concentrically-placed cages.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring first to FIGS. 1A through 1D, various forms of concretereinforcement by the prior art are shown, where the load-bearingabilities of a concrete mass 10 are augmented by various longitudinaland lateral reinforcements. Referring with particularity to FIG. 1A, awelded wire fabric system is shown. In the system, rebar 20 is laterallyspaced and connected by wire or other rebar 30 with welds 40 at contactpoints. Although reasonably capable of carrying large shear forces, thewelded wire fabric system is not well-suited to supporting axial loads,including having a rather high susceptibility to buckling. While able tocarry some flexural loads, its torsion resistance is limited when usedas a planar member such as a shear wall. Referring next to FIG. 1B, aconventional rebar system to form a column is shown. In it, rebar 20 isgiven supplemental hoopwise assistance by column ties 50 (which could inthe alternate be transverse rebar) looped around the periphery of andsecured to the rebar 20 with ties and end-hooks 60. Together, rebar 20,column ties 50, and hooks 60 define a skeletal frame that is impregnatedwith concrete to form the reinforced concrete column. This system isextremely sensitive to how well the hooks 60 are detailed, such thattorsional resistance can be easily compromised. In addition, thelongitudinal rebar 20 can buckle under high axial loads. Furthermore,fabrication efforts are difficult, as detailing (the process of securingcolumn ties 50 and end-hooks 60 to longitudinal rebar 20, and thecalculation of rebar spacing) takes a significant investment in time.This detailing can cause reinforcement congestion and can especially behard to construct in heavily reinforced columns and joints in structureswith special or intermediate moment-resisting frames. This fabricationprocess, by virtue of being individually performed on the job site for aparticular structural member, is not considered to qualify as“prefabricated”. Referring next to FIG. 1C, the composite system, whilecapable of carrying high shear and axial forces, and less prone tofabrication mistakes than rebar system of FIG. 1B, doesn't provide goodbonding unless some shear studs (or related protrusion) are attached tothe steel profiles located near the column center. The shear studsincrease the bonding through concrete bearing on them and through thefriction between steel and concrete. The stronger the bonding betweenconcrete and steel, the stronger the member as the tensile orcompressive stresses in the member can be resisted by both materialswithout separation or splitting failure. The flexural capacity andefficiency of the composite system is reduced if the standard steelprofile 70 (shown as an I-beam in FIG. 1C) is placed close to the centerrelative to the rebar 20, which is typically the case. Referring withparticularity to FIG. 1D, the presence of the encapsulating tubular wall80 in the system gives it high axial, torsional and shear strength.Because the steel of tubular wall 80 is disposed on the outer portion ofthe system, it is susceptible to fire and corrosion.

Referring next to FIGS. 2 and 3, a reinforced concrete structure, in theform of a column 100, is shown. Column 100 includes concrete mass 10 anda reinforcing device, presently shown in the form of a cage 110. Inapplications such as column 100, which requires three-dimensionalattributes, the reinforcing device, which is generally fabricated from aplate, can be rolled or bent to a desired cylindrical or box shape toproduce cage 110. In this latter form, opposing edges of the plate arebrought together and welded or otherwise joined. In an alternative form,the cage 110 can be made from a tube-shaped member; this form eliminatesthe need to bend and join the plate. Another alternative may be tomanufacture the whole system as a cage by known casting methods. Thecage 110 can be prefabricated and brought to the construction sitebefore casting concrete. In the present context, components such as thecage that make up a concrete reinforcing system are considered“prefabricated” when they are put together, typically (although notnecessarily) in a factory or related off-site facility, prior to theiruse within a particular concrete member, thereby removing the need forindividually manufacturing the components at the job site. Cage 110includes numerous longitudinal reinforcements 120 and transversereinforcements 130 that together make up a lattice-like structure thatdefines apertures 140 between the reinforcements 120 and 130. Eachaperture 140 defines a channel that extends from one (inward-facing)surface 110 a of the cage 110 to the opposing (outward-facing) surface110 b. Concrete 10 can flow into the channels defined by the apertures140, and once cured, forms a bond between concrete formed against innerand outer surfaces 110 a, 110 b of cage 110. The longitudinalreinforcements 120 function similar to the longitudinal rebar 20 of therebar system of FIG. 1B, while the lateral reinforcements 130 provideenhanced load-carrying capacity relative to the transverse reinforcement50 of FIG. 1B or the wires 30 of the welded wire fabric system of FIG.1A. Concrete mass 10 includes well-confined (i.e., core) concrete 10 adisposed inside cage 110 such that it cooperates with inward-facingsurface 110 a, unconfined (i.e., external) concrete 10 c formed outsidecage 110 such that it cooperates with outward-facing surface 110 b, andpartially-confined (i.e., transitional) concrete 10 b that forms inapertures 140 and is used to bond or link well-confined concrete 1 a tounconfined concrete 10 c so that the entire concrete mass 10 iscontiguous, thereby forming an integral column 100 reinforced with cage110 to give the column 100 a composite-like structure. The unconfinedconcrete 10 c protects the cage 110 from environmental and thermaleffects. Moreover, the presence of apertures 140 in cage 110 isbeneficial for other reasons as well; when used in locations whereseismic activity is of particular concern, where after significantseismic events (such as a big earthquake), even if the unconfinedconcrete 10 c spalls off, the well-confined concrete 10 a performsbetter as it is confined by the cage 110. Also, the confined concretecan be observed through the apertures 140, thereby facilitatingpost-event inspection.

Referring with particularity to FIG. 3, the nature of theinterconnection of concrete 10 throughout the column 100 is exemplifiedby the well-confined concrete 10 a, partially-confined concrete 10 b andunconfined concrete 10 c forming a single, contiguous structure. As inthe rebar system of FIG. 1B, the concrete mass 10 can envelop thereinforcement, providing a solid combination of concrete and steel. Thispromotes a stronger bond with an additional resisting force due to thepartially-confined concrete 10 b passing through the apertures 140. Incontrast to the rebar system of FIG. 1B and the composite system of FIG.1C, the closed nature of the reinforcement provides a considerableamount of confinement for the concrete mass 10 inside the cage 110. Infact, it provides levels of confinement approaching that of the tubularsystem of FIG. 1D, while possessive of higher structural efficiency,metal protection and ductility. In addition, the bonding and theinteraction forces acting between cage 110 and concrete mass 10 will bemuch higher (for reasons mentioned above) compared to the compositesystem.

Referring next to FIGS. 4A through 4C, there are three bond resistingmechanisms acting on the cage 110 and concrete 10, including thefriction bonding forces F_(f) acting at the surface of the lateral andtransverse reinforcements 120, 130, the shear resistance F_(s) of thetransverse reinforcement 130, and the compressive concrete reactionforces F_(c) bearing on the transverse reinforcement 130 at the bottomof the apertures 140. The shear forces v depicted in FIG. 4B are thosethat exist between adjacent layers of concrete 10, for example, betweenpartially-confined concrete 10 b passing through the apertures 140 andunconfined concrete 10 c that forms a protective cover over cage 110. Inoperation, the adjacent concrete surfaces produce some friction andresistance between them before the unconfined concrete 10 c spalls off.The total bonding will be the summation of these three forces.F_(b)=F_(f)+F_(c)+F_(s). These mechanisms are either nonexistent or workdifferently in the structural members illustrated in FIG. 1A through 1D.For example, the bonding mechanism in the reinforced concrete columnshown in FIG. 1B is basically through the friction resistance F_(f)alone.

There are at least three possible methods for fabricating the apertures140 into cage 110. In one method, a punching system can be used to punchthe apertures 140 into the plate. The thickness of the plate, size ofthe apertures 140, and the distance between adjacent horizontal andvertical apertures 140 can be made to vary depending on the longitudinaland transverse strength needs. In a second method, the apertures 140 canbe cast directly into the plate, where melted steel is cast through aframework in the shape of the cage 110. This approach has the advantageof allowing the cage 110, including the apertures 140 to be cast inmultiple shapes, including cylinder or box shapes, avoiding thenecessity of performing additional steps such as shaping, forming,cutting or welding. In yet another method, various cutting approaches,such as laser, flame, plasma, abrasive jet, electrochemical machining,electrical discharge machining, milling or related automated orsemi-automated schemes, can be used to form apertures 140. The choice ofwhich of the different methods to use is driven by various factors,including cost, quantity, need for precision, finished product or thelike. Producing various cages 110 with different thicknesses anddifferent aperture 140 sizes is possible and easy with these methods.

Column 100 has additional advantages over the traditional rebar systemof FIG. 1B. For example, the cage 110 can be built ahead of time (i.e.,prefabricated) and be transferred to the construction site, reducing theconstruction time considerably. If the transverse reinforcement 50 ofthe rebar system is not precisely placed relative to the longitudinalrebar 20, the system won't work properly. In addition, if transverserebar 50 fractures, or if end-hook 60 is opened, the whole connectionbetween them may become compromised. In contrast, the integral formationbetween the lateral reinforcements 130 and longitudinal reinforcements120 of the present system 100 ensures structural integrity even if thelateral reinforcement 130 is damaged locally. As previously mentioned, acage 110 of the prefabricated cage system 100 can be formed in numerousgeometric shapes, where circular and rectangular cross-sections are themost common. The reinforcement system of the present invention isexpected to perform well in torsion due to its inherent rigidity andstructural continuity.

The inherent rigidity and structural continuity enabled by the unitaryconstruction of cage 110 results in very efficient transfer of loadsbetween the longitudinal and transverse reinforcements 120, 130. Thishelps provide a higher load-carrying capacity with the same amount ofsteel, resulting in a more efficient use of the longitudinalreinforcement 120. As previously mentioned, such a configuration alsoeliminates weak points in the cage 110 due to the mistakes inconstruction as well as decreasing the time spent assembling it. Inaddition, tailored structural properties are easily integrated into thedevice (whether in plate or cage form), as the dimensions and spacing ofthe apertures 140 need not be the same over the height of the column100.

The confinement provided by the cage 110 of FIGS. 2 and 3 is higher thanthe confinement provided by rebar system of FIG. 1B, yet less than theconfinement provided by tubular system. Therefore, it is expected thatthe proposed reinforcement will perform something between thetraditional rebar reinforced system and the equivalent tubular system.

Referring next to FIGS. 5 and 6, reinforced columns according toalternate embodiments of the present invention are shown. In FIG. 5, thecolumn 200 formed by cage 210 and concrete 10 is cylindrical along itslongitudinal axis. As before, apertures 240 form channels that allowpartially-confined concrete 10 b (not presently shown) to form acontiguous concrete structure with well-confined concrete 10 a andunconfined concrete 10 c. Inward-facing surface 210 a and outward-facingsurface 210 b are oriented similar to those of the previous embodiment.In FIG. 6, two cages (shown as inner cage 310 and outer cage 311) areplaced in concentric arrangement relative to each other, while both areembedded within concrete 10. While the cages 310, 311 are presentlyshown with substantially overlapping arrangement such that apertures340, 341 do not align, it will be appreciated that they can be arrangedsuch that the apertures 340, 341 do substantially align.

Having described the invention in detail and by reference to preferredembodiments thereof, it will be apparent that modifications andvariations are possible without departing from the scope of theinvention defined in the appended claims. More specifically, althoughsome aspects of the present invention are identified herein as preferredor particularly advantageous, it is contemplated that the presentinvention is not necessarily limited to these preferred aspects of theinvention.

1. A concrete reinforcing device comprising a perforate load-bearingmember having a first surface and a second surface, said deviceconfigured such that upon placement of concrete in cooperativearrangement with said surfaces, apertures defining said perforateload-bearing member facilitate bonding between concrete disposed on saidfirst and second surfaces to effect contiguous mass of said concretethat forms upon curing an integral structure with said device.
 2. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein material making up said device comprises ametal.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is of unitaryconstruction.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein said device isconfigured as a cage such that said first surface is substantiallyinward facing and said second surface is substantially outward facing.5. The device of claim 1, wherein said apertures defined in said deviceare arranged in a substantially repeating pattern.
 6. The device ofclaim 5, wherein said apertures are substantially rectangular in shape.7. The device of claim 5, wherein all said apertures are substantiallysimilar in size.
 8. The device of claim 5, wherein said aperturescomprise a plurality of sizes.
 9. The device of claim 1, wherein saidapertures are substantially circumscribed by a plurality of transversereinforcements and a plurality of longitudinal reinforcements such thatsaid apertures and one side of said reinforcements define said firstsurface of said load-bearing member while said apertures and an opposingside of said reinforcements define said second surface of saidload-bearing member.
 10. The device of claim 9, wherein said lateral andlongitudinal reinforcements are substantially coplanar with one anotherwithin each of said surfaces of said load-bearing member.
 11. Areinforced concrete structure comprising: a concrete reinforcing devicecomprising a perforate load-bearing member having a first surface and asecond surface; and a concrete mass cooperative with said perforateload-bearing member such that apertures defining said perforateload-bearing member facilitate bonding between a portion of said massdisposed on said first surface and a portion of said mass disposed onsaid second surface to effect an integral structure between said massand said device.
 12. The structure of claim 11, wherein saidload-bearing member comprises at least one perforate cage into whichsaid portion of said mass disposed on said first surface is placed. 13.The structure of claim 12, wherein said structure is a column.
 14. Thestructure of claim 13, wherein said column comprises a substantiallycylindrical shape along its longitudinal axis.
 15. The structure ofclaim 13, wherein said column comprises a substantially rectangularshape along its longitudinal axis.
 16. The structure of claim 12,wherein said structure is a pile.
 17. The structure of claim 14, whereinsaid pile comprises a substantially cylindrical shape along itslongitudinal axis.
 18. The structure of claim 12, wherein said perforateload-bearing member comprises a plurality of cages each of which sizedto facilitate concentric placement of said plurality of cages into saidmass of concrete.
 19. A reinforced concrete column comprising: aperforate load-bearing metal cage having at least an inward-facing firstsurface and an outward-facing second surface, said cage comprising aunitary construction; and a concrete mass cooperative with said cagesuch that apertures defined in said cage facilitate bonding between aportion of said mass disposed on said first surface and a portion ofsaid mass disposed on said second surface to effect an integralstructure between said mass and said cage.
 20. The column of claim 19,wherein said apertures are substantially circumscribed by a plurality oftransverse reinforcements and a plurality of longitudinal reinforcementssuch that said apertures and one side of said reinforcements define saidfirst surface of said load-bearing member while said apertures and anopposing side of said reinforcements define said second surface of saidcage.
 21. A method of reinforcing a building, said method comprising:configuring at least one load-bearing structure to comprise: a concretereinforcing device comprising a perforate member having a first surfaceand a second surface; and a mass of concrete cooperative with saidperforate member such that apertures defining said perforate memberfacilitate bonding between a portion of said mass of concrete disposedon said first surface and a portion of said mass of concrete disposed onsaid second surface to effect an integral structure between said mass ofconcrete and said perforate member; and placing said load-bearingstructure in a position in said building such that it carries at least aportion of a structural load of said building.
 22. The method of claim21, wherein said perforate member is configured as a cage.
 23. Themethod of claim 22, wherein said cage is of unitary construction.
 24. Amethod of making a concrete column, said method comprising: configuringa load-bearing metal cage to have at least an inward-facing firstsurface and an outward-facing second surface such that each of aplurality of apertures defined between said first and second surfacesdefines a channel therebetween; and flowing a concrete mass onto saidcage such that a portion of said mass forms substantially against saidfirst surface, a portion of said mass forms substantially against saidsecond surface and a portion of said mass forms in said apertures suchthat a substantially contiguous concrete structure is formed by saidmass around said cage; and curing said concrete mass.
 25. The method ofclaim 24, further comprising placing forms around said cage prior tosaid flowing said concrete mass such that upon said flowing saidconcrete mass, a layer corresponding to said mass forming substantiallyagainst said second surface becomes substantially bounded by saidoutward-facing second surface and said form.
 26. The method of claim 25,further comprising removing said forms from said column once saidconcrete has cured.